Constructive engagement

Having created a groundswell of support online, govt realises that a large audience are influenced by content online

Prime Minister Imran Khan last week invited digital-media persons to talk about his vision for the country, the challenges faced and how some of these would be solved. Those invited were YouTubers and Instagrammers who effectively form the face of Pakistan on social media and other online networks with a mindboggling combined reach of nearly 30 million. All of them were youngsters, the youngest being just 14. The session offered interesting insights into the direction the PM is heading to. But more important was the gesture of inviting these people and allowing them to not only ask questions but also discuss some concerns that they face from their respective audiences almost daily. It was refreshing to hear the PM admit that they should have held the session much sooner.

The ruling PTI has prided itself on promoting a pro-youth narrative with Imran terming social media a ‘weapon’ for the party against the status quo. It is thus welcome how Imran took the time to sit with the youth in a more interpersonal and informal manner than what some of the other heads of governments have done in Pakistan and even in other countries. Having created a groundswell of support online, the government realises that a large audience, especially those in favour of the PTI, are influenced by content online, particularly a large chunk of the youth. Never mind that even as the PM hosted these social media influencers, the government was hard at work drafting policies which would seriously curb the freedom of these practitioners to continue what they are passionate about.

These are not easy times as the PM said, and dedicating an hour or so to answer questions from the public and resolving their problems goes a long way without costing too much. One hopes that Imran can spare more time for such interaction and on a more regular basis, perhaps with a greater mix in the audience and little less rhetoric and party-meeting feel.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 28^th, 2020.

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